Barcelona star Javier Mascherano has admitted that he regrets the way he left Liverpool for Barcelona, stating that the departure of Rafa Benitez played a big decision in his departure.

The Argentine was speaking about his next move when he admitted that his career at the Nou Camp is coming to an end. Mascherano spoke about the way he left the Merseyside club, and that he does not want to leave the Catalan giants in the same way, as reported by the ?Liverpool Echo.

?He said: “When I left Liverpool it wasn’t good for me, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like having the feeling that I could go back to Liverpool and there was still something toxic there. And I don’t want the same thing to happen to me at Barcelona.

“It was a stormy summer for me. Rafa Benitez had left Liverpool and there was the possibility of going to Inter with him. We were negotiating but things did not go the way we wanted. I already had the idea of leaving Liverpool. He was the manager who had bet on me when I did not know what to do at West Ham. When he left, I believed that it would not be the same and I needed to take a step forward”.

Im not sure whats more impressive, Mascherano’s 14 trophies at Barca or that in his 8 years there his hair and beard have swapped places??? pic.twitter.com/Uvnv0vrUtj

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) July 25, 2017

After a tough summer, Mascherano spoke then about his offer from Inter and how the move to Barcelona came about.

“Negotiations with Inter did not progress and 15 days before the end of the transfer window Barcelona contacted me. They told me about the possibility of coming [to the Nou Camp]. They needed a player to rest Sergio [Busquets] because Yaya [Toure] had gone. I had previously spoke with Leo [Messi] about it and it was a dream to come to Guardiola’s Barcelona.”

It is interesting to see how these transfers come about and that the departure to Barcelona was mostly down to Benitez; the relationship between the two is clearly very strong.

Mascherano has undoubtedly had a fantastic career and it is a shame to see such a great talent enter the twilight of his career.